ѕтσям σƒ ѕιℓєηcє
by It ish Morning o3o
Summary: They despise me for my silence, but I despise them for what they appear to be -cold hearted cats hardened by moons of pain and suffering. I will show them all what I am worth -after all, it's always calm before a storm. And the storm I bring will make them perish.
1. Chapter 1

_**Allegiances: ValleyClan**_

_**Leader:**_ Cougarstar- Pale brown tom with dark brown underbelly, ears and paws and green eyes

_**Deputy:**_Aspenshade- Dark gray she-cat

_**Medicine Cat:**_ Flurrystorm- White tom with dark gray flecks

_**Warriors:**_

Icetail- White she-cat with bright blue eyes

Hollowheart- Dark gray tom with black patch on chest and back with green eyes

Sageleaf- Dark gray tabby she-cat with sage green eyes

Sunstorm- Bright ginger tom with darker patch on chest and amber eyes

Smokeshade- Dark gray tom with white paws and dark blue eyes

Aspenbreeze- Light cream she-cat with green eyes

Hailfang- Light brown tabby tom with white underbelly and tail tip with dark green eyes

Jaguarshadow- Black she-cat with amber eyes

Ashriver- Dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

Tigerfall- Light brown tabby tom with green eyes with white underbelly and tail tip

_**Apprentices:**_

Leopardpaw- Light gray she-cat with black spots and yellow eyes, medicine cat apprentice

Mintpaw- Silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Finchpaw- Pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Mousepaw- Dusty brown she-cat with lighter paws and tail with amber eyes

_**Queens:**_

Mistylight- Black she-cat with silver spots and ice blue eyes (mother to Shadekit, Breezekit, and Wolfkit)

Wolfmist- Dark gray she-cat with yellow eyes (mother to Stormkit and Flarekit)

_**Elders:**_

Hollynose- Gray she-cat with white specks and a scar across her shoulders, amber eyes

_**¢нαρтєя σηє: вιятн ιη α ѕтσям**_

Rain soaked the pelts of the clustered cats as they trekked back to their territory, mutters of complaints and outrage at the other Clans passing throughout them, each cats' eyes burning with anger and hostility. The moon glowed brightly upon the marshes below. A cold breeze came down from the gathering clouds. It wove through the pines, making the needles tremble, telling them of secrets it had gathered from the world, and finally made its way into the open air.

As the cats made their way into the camp, a shriek sounded from inside a bramble wall. All ears pricked at the sound, and almost instantly a white tom shot out of the crowd of cats, calling to his apprentice rapidly for herbs and a long stick. The toms apprentice obeyed and met him in the center of the clearing with everything he needed, and together they entered the bramble encased area known as the nursery.

The shriek ripped through the air again, following by a moan of pain and a sharp hiss. A light brown tabby tom flattened his ears to his head and began pacing at the far edge of the clearing, away from the nursery and all of the cats anxiously surrounding it. Rain ran off of his thick pelt in rivets, similar to the river that flowed nearby.

Finally, after what felt like countless moons and seasons the white tom and his apprentice exited the nursery, and beckoned the light brown tom with their tails. The tabby eagerly padded over to them, his green eyes seeming to glow in the light of the fading Sun.

"How is she, Flurrystorm?" The light brown tabby asked worriedly, twitching an ear.

"Wolfmist is fine, Tigerfall." Flurrystorm answered, flicking his tail proudly on his apprentices shoulder. "Leopardpaw delivered your first litter of kits by herself." The apprentice called Leopardpaw lowered her head in embarrassment, though her eyes shone with warmth for her mentor's praise.

Tigerfall nodded to Leopardpaw in thanks before turning back to the medicine cat. "When can I see Wolfmist?"

"Now, if you would like." Leopardpaw mewed, gesturing with her tail towards the nursery. "But don't be too excited or overjoyed until after she gets rest." The pale gray cat purred in amusement at giving an order to an experienced warrior when she was only an apprentice.

Tigerfall cast her a glance and dipped his head to both medicine cats before bounding towards the nursery and slipping inside. Stopping at his mate's side and licking her in between her ears to awake the exhausted queen, Wolfmist allowed a smile to curve onto her muzzle before she removed her tail from her side, revealing two lumps; one a dark ginger she-cat with cream patches and the other pure black.

"I think we should name them..." Wolfmist meowed, purring quietly as she looked at her kits with love in her yellow eyes. Pointing to the dark ginger kit with her tail, Wolfmist decided the name as if she had been planning the kits name for some time now. "Flarekit, for her bright ginger fur."

Tigerfall purred in agreement before licking the small black kit in between its ears, causing the kit to squeal in protest and go back to nursing. "I think we should name her Stormkit, for the storm that brought us the gift of parenthood so early in New leaf!"

Wolfmist nodded in agreement and gazed at Flarekit and Stormkit, pressing herself against Tigerfall lovingly. "Flarekit and Stormkit... Welcome home."

Outside in the dimming Sun, the storm began to clear all except the clouds that covered the Moon, sheltering its light from the rest of the world.


	2. Chapter 2: A Dark Sunrise

_Chapter Two: A Dark Sunrise_

"Wolfmist? Mistylight? Are you two awake?"

"We are indeed, Mousepaw. Is there something you need?"

The shuffling of paws rumbled the ground as the apprentice's fear scent began to form. "N-No, but Tigerfall and Cougarstar both brought you these." Two thumps sounded on the ground near the fearful apprentice's paws.

"Ah," a warm purr rumbled across the den and teeth latched onto fur, the sound of prey being dragged across the ground ringing in the kits ears. "A rabbit... How thoughtful of Cougarstar."

"Well, he _is _your mate Mistylight." The kit felt something long and fluffy brush against her back. "Tigerfall knows how much I love dorm mice. It must've taken him ages to find this."

"At least your mate is decent and visits you often, Wolfmist." The purr sounded across the den again, and the sounds of ripping flesh from bone made the kit feel sick. "Cougarstar never visits the kits or myself. You're lucky you have a mate as nice and pleasant as Tigerfall."

A pair of small paws pushed against her back, shaking her almost violently. "Flarekit!" The harsh and stern voice of Wolfmist, the cat that she knew by voice but not by anything else rang in her ears.

"Why won't she open her eyes, Mama?" Flarekit whined in her high-pitched kit mew.

The soft and warm tongue of Wolfmist brushed against her, from ears to tail, seeming to smooth her fur. "She isn't ready, Flarekit," she meowed between licks, "but she will open them soon, I promise."

"But I want her to open them _now_!" Flarekit whined, putting her paws back on Stormkit's side and shaking her again. "Come on, Stormkit! Open your eyes already so we can go out on adventures together!"

_Adventures? _The words seemed to call to her, and with all of her strength the little black kit forced her eyes to open and took in all the bright colors of the nursery, the larger cats next to and across from her, the medium sized cat near a wide opening in the wall, and the bright ginger kit that looked about her size, staring at her intently through wide yellow eyes.

"Wolfmist!" The kit shouted to the large dark gray cat beside Stormkit, and the cat turned its yellow gaze -much like the ginger kit's- onto her. "Look! Stormkit has opened her eyes!"

"I can see that, Flarekit."

So Flarekit was the bright ginger kit's name... That means Wolfmist must be the dark gray cat next to her, and Mistylight must be the black cat across the den!

"Welcome to ValleyClan, Stormkit. I am Wolfmist, your mother." The dark gray cat gestured to the bright ginger kit called Flarekit, "and that's Flarekit, your sister."

ValleyClan... The name sounded faintly familiar now that she thought about it... Perhaps it was because Mistylight, Wolfmist and whoever that medium sized cat at the opening in the wall she guessed was Mousepaw always spoke of that name highly. Now realizing it was her home, Stormkit purred at the thought of living in such a highly thought of Clan.

Flarekit's paw stomping on the nursery floor snapped Stormkit out of her thoughts. "But why can't we go outside? You said we could when she opened her eyes!"

Wolfmist sighed, flattening her ears to her head. "It doesn't mean I meant it, Flarekit. I just don't want you getting under any cats paws, that's all..."

"Oh, let them go Wolfmist," Mistylight chided, and Stormkit looked in the direction of the black queen who was staring at her mother through cool eyes. "They've got to see the world sometime. Why not start now instead of waiting until they're six moons?"

"I never said I would make them wait," Wolfmist meowed, a growl edging the words, "I only said I didn't want them getting under a cats paws."

"We won't, Mama!" Stormkit promised and twitched an ear, wanting to go out and explore camp like Flarekit had promised her.

Wolfmist purred at her kit and looked at both of them sternly. "Now you must not get under any paws or go into any of the dens. Understood?"

Both kits nodded their heads, and Wolfmist sighed in pleasure. "Good, my dears. Now, go outside and explore camp, but be sure to come back when the sun begins to fade."

"We will!" Flarekit promised, her ginger-and-white splashed tail waving in the air. She darted underneath Mousepaw's belly, slipping out into the wide space where sunlight was seeping through.

"Wolfmist!" Stormkit mewed, beginning to panic. "Flarekit disappeared!"

Mistylight purred and batted the kits ear with her tail. "She didn't disappear, Stormkit. She just went into camp!"

Wolfmist sent the black queen a glare before settling her gaze on her kit. "Mistylight is right, Stormkit. The camp is outside of that wide space." She nudged Stormkit forward with her nose. "Go on, see for yourself."

Tentatively, the small black kit crept forward, her small paws not even making marks in the dirt below them. Looking back at her mother and seeing the encouragement shining in her yellow gaze, Stormkit put one paw in front of the other and within a few measly seconds she was out of the nursery, into a brand new world consisting of rocks, dens, and even more cats.

Flarekit's ginger pelt appeared at the end of her vision, playing with three other larger kits twice her size. Hesitantly padding over to her sister, Stormkit waved her tail in greeting as Flarekit turned her yellow gaze on the small black kit. "Hey, Stormkit!" Flarekit mewed, her ginger-and-white tail flicking her sister on the shoulder as she cane to stand beside her.

Stormkit peered at the three larger kits standing before her. "Who are they?" She asked Flarekit, and the dark ginger-and white kit purred in amusement.

"These," Flarekit explained, gesturing to the kits with her tail, "are Mistylight's kits. I've known them for about two sunrises. Until you opened your eyes, that is."

"Hello there!" A dark brown tabby she-cat meowed, her amber gaze seeming to be friendly towards Stormkit. "I'm Breezekit, and these are my brothers, Shadekit and Wolfkit."

Shadekit, a dark gray tom with brown paws, seemed to be hostile towards Stormkit, because when she opened her jaws to give a greeting, he hastily took up the opportunity. "Don't bother, kit." He sneered, a smirk appeared on his muzzle. "I don't have time for kits like you. I'm going to be the best warrior there is!"

"In your dreams, Shadekit." A large golden tom retorted, and Stormkit guessed that this must be Wolfkit. The tom turned his warm amber gaze on her and Flarekit for a moment before it was just on her. "The names Wolfkit. What's yours?"

"S-Stormkit..." The small black kit mewed, shrinking beneath her coal-black fur and trying to blend in with her surroundings.

Wolfkit purred at Stormkit, amusement lighting his seemingly expressionless eyes. "That's an odd name for a she-cat..."

"But it's also really cool!" Breezekit meowed excitedly, waving her brown tail. "I've never heard of a kit having a name like that. You must be _really_ special to your family!"

Stormkit ducked her head in embarrassment as the two kits -Shadekit and Flarekit staying out of the way- crowded around her, acting as though she was some cat coming down from StarClan.

Stormkit felt the envious eyes of Flarekit on her pelt, and she could tell her sister was not happy.


	3. Chapter 3: The Darkest of Days

**_¢нαρтєя тняєє: тнє ∂αякєѕт σƒ ∂αуѕ_**

The days seemed to pass by like the wind, there one heartbeat and gone the next. Wolfmist insisted that her kits stay inside with leaf-bare approaching, though Stormkit never followed her mother's orders and played outside in the sleet with Breezekit and Wolfkit, while Shadekit and Flarekit often stayed inside to keep the other company.

Soon snow began to shed from the sky, and prey was scarce and rarely would patrols come back with a decent amount of prey to hold the entire Clan from going into starvation. Stormkit knew this because she often watched the apprentices and warriors leave and come back during the day and night, sometimes during the early morning when every cat in the nursery was asleep except her.

On the coldest day in leaf-bare Stormkit happened to be the only kit outside. Wolfkit had come down with a slight cough, and Flurrystorm -ValleyClan's medicine cat- insisted that the golden tom stay inside and keep warm to keep the sickness from spreading to either his siblings or the other kits. Meanwhile Mistylight kept her three kits inside to ensure that neither Breezekit or Shadekit would come down with the same thing, thus making Wolfmist keep both of her kits inside as well. But as usual Stormkit decided not to listen to her mother's orders and play outside anyway, batting at a snow pile as if it were a warrior in battle.

"Stormkit!" Flarekit called, her yellow gaze wide as she stared at her black sister playing out in the freezing cold. "Mama told you to stay inside while she went on a hunting patrol!"

The black kit rolled her eyes and shoved her sisters worry away deep inside her mind with a flick of her tail. _Let Flarekit and Mama worry... They'll be surprised when I don't come inside. _Suddenly, a heavy force pinned her to the ground and blackness engulfed her. She screamed and thrashed, trying to find light in the dark of the place, though no light came to her aide. The small she-cat licked her muzzle, feeling something wet drip onto it from above. Licking her muzzle again and then the wall of the dark place, she allowed the cool substance seep down her throat. Stormkit sighed, her breath billowing in a cloud around her. It was snow. She had been scared of snow.

A small stream of light poked through the top of the snow pile, and paws began to appear every now and then. Stormkit sighed gratefully. Some cat had heard her! A large muzzle reached down and grabbed her scruff, pulling the cold and shivering kit out of the snow and onto the ground. Looking up, the small wet kit saw her father, Tigerfall looking at her worriedly.

"Are you all right?" The brown tabby asked, twitching an ear and studying her as if to check for wounds.

"Yes," Stormkit mewed, avoiding her father's paw that was trying to get the clumps of snow out of her pelt. "I'm fine. I just attacked the snow pile too hard and it must've fallen on me."

"You attacked a snow pile?" Amusement lit the brown toms green eyes.

"Yes. I imagined it as a warrior and I was in battle."

Tigerfall purred and grabbed his daughter by her scruff again, taking her towards the nursery. Inside Wolfmist sat with Flarekit close to her, her fur sticking out on end and wailing her tail off. When she saw Tigerfall with Stormkit, the dark gray queen darted for her mate and took her shivering kit in her own jaws, blinking her thanks to him and setting the small black kit down, her yellow eyes terrified yet lit by a sudden anger.

"How dare you disobey me three times, Stormkit!" Wolfmist yowled, and the black kit flattened her ears to her head in shame. "Three times I told you to stay inside and not go out and play, and what do you do? You object and leave, going out in the freezing cold and playing out there like it's new-leaf still!"

"Wolfmist," Tigerfall tried to interject, but the gray queen didn't even hear her mate and continued to scold her kit, acting as if the dark brown tabby tom wasn't even there.

"You are confined in the nursery for one moon for your disobedience, Stormkit." The gray she-cat sighed, finally satisfied with her lecture.

"She was just being a kit, Wolfmist!" Tigerfall meowed, coming to his kits defense.

"A disobedient kit is not a kit I would like to have, Tigerfall." Wolfmist replied, her voice strangely calm. "If this is what it will take to keep Stormkit inside, then so be it."

Tigerfall hissed at his mate, his green eyes narrowed. "How can you speak of a kit in such a way?"

"She is my daughter. I'll speak of her any way I please."

"She happens to be _our daughter_!" Tigerfall snarled, and Stormkit cringed at the venom in her father's voice. She had caused this, all because she had been playing outside instead of following Wolfmist's orders...

"A daughter that you wanted!" Wolfmist hissed, wrapping Flarekit in her dark gray tail and gazing at Tigerfall. She pointed at Stormkit with her tail, a growl rising in her throat and coming out with her words. "You wanted her. I didn't. So that kit should have never been born. Only Flarekit should have been, not Stormkit."

Tigerfall growled deep in his throat, baring his teeth. "I never knew you could act this way to me and our kit, Wolfmist. You used to be such a loving cat and a loving mother, but now because of a simple mistake such as playing outside you feel the need to leave your last kit motherless?"

Wolfmist waved the toms anger off with a flick of her tail. "She is your responsibility now, Tigerfall. I do not wish to raise such a disobedient kit, nor shall I ever think of her as my offspring again."

Her mother's words stung her heart like claws or thorns -she couldn't tell which. They both had the same numb feeling, a feeling that seemed almost comforting at the moment despite the tension and anger in the air. Tigerfall snarled one last time and picked up Stormkit in his jaws once more, bolting from the den and into the warriors den, where he placed his daughter beside him and began to sob.

The beating of the freezing rain and the cries of her father created almost a soft and sweet, yet painful and heartbreaking lullaby that seemed to lull Stormkit to sleep, allowing her father's tears to speak for the words he could not say.


	4. Chapter 4: Tired of Waiting

_Chapter Four: Tired of Waiting_

Stormkit sat at the far edge of the clearing, watching as Wolfkit, Breezekit, and Shadekit became apprentices. In the moons that had followed her parents' separation from one another as mates, Wolfmist was beginning to pad after the warrior Sunstorm while Tigerfall remained loyal to his word and hadn't even thought of getting another mate until Stormkit was at least an apprentice. And now, at three moons old, her time wasn't far off.

"Father?"

"Hm?" The noise seemed to come out of Tigerfall like a purr and a growl mixed.

"When will I become an apprentice?"

"In due time, my kit." Tigerfall purred, wrapping his daughter in his brown tabby tail and glaring across the clearing where Wolfmist sat, Flarekit sitting next to her with her pelt well-groomed. "In due time..."

"And now,"Cougarstar meowed, obviously not done with the ceremony, "I would like to invite Flarekit to stand before me to receive her apprentice name."

At this Stormkit flattened her ears to her head and watched as her sister padded forward, her glossy ginger-and-white pelt glistening in the dawning sun. Her chin and tail were high, as if she were the Clan leader herself.

Tigerfall let out an irritable hiss and leapt to his paws, his brown fur bristling as he stared at a smug Wolfmist. "She's only three moons old! How can she be an apprentice and not Stormkit as well?"

"Stormkit is still under her punishment," Wolfmist declared, "or have you forgotten that quickly?" Her mother had a point. Not long after she and Tigerfall had split up the gray she-cat had gone to Cougarstar and demanded that Stormkit be confined with Tigerfall until Cougarstar felt it was time to make her an apprentice. The ValleyClan leader had agreed on behalf of the queen, sensing that she would not leave until he obeyed her order.

"I haven't forgotten." Tigerfall growled, his tail swishing back and forth. "I haven't forgotten that you have left Stormkit motherless and abandoned either!"

Stormkit twitched an ear at the shocked gasps that cascaded around the Clan, as if no cat knew Wolfmist had done this to her until now. She felt the yellow eyes of Flarekit burn into her pelt, and the silent accusation of 'You caused this! You just had to disobey Mom!' being thrown at her through those cold expressionless eyes.

"I didn't leave her abandoned!" Wolfmist growled, lashing her tail. "She has you."

"Silence!" Cougarstar yowled, cutting Tigerfall off from throwing a hostile reply in his former mate's face. "You two can argue all you would like later." He sent the two cats a glare before turning back to Flarekit. "Flarekit, from this moment you shall be known as Flarepaw. Sunstorm will be your mentor."

The bright ginger tom looked shocked for a moment, but he soon recovered and stepped forward, his eyes shining as he looked at Flarepaw. "Sunstorm, you have been taught well by Hollowheart. May you pass down your loyalty and your determination to your first apprentice."

"I will, Cougarstar." Sunstorm purred, touching noses with the newly named Flarepaw and leading her back into the crowd of cats, sitting at the very edge in the front.

"Breezepaw! Wolfpaw! Shadepaw! Flarepaw!" The Clan erupted into cheers, yet they died down from their excited atmosphere when they called Flarepaw's name, each of them glancing at the cat warily.

As the Clan dispersed, Stormkit saw Wolfpaw standing with his mentor, Smokeshade. The dark gray tom was staring at the warrior Aspenbreeze with awe in his eyes. Almost every cat in ValleyClan knew that the two were very close, and they were waiting for them to announce that they were mates sometime soon.

Wolfpaw caught her eye and a giant smile seemed to appear on his muzzle. Smokeshade cast Stormkit a glance and nudged the golden tom, as if he wanted Wolfpaw to come and talk to her. With his head high and his gaze defiant Wolfpaw made his way towards her, a purr rumbling inside of him.

"Congratulations, Wolfpaw!" Stormkit purred, peering up at where the golden apprentice stood over her at a massive height difference.

"Thank you, Stormkit." Wolfpaw meowed, his amber gaze growing warm. A hiss sent the golden tom looking up from Stormkit and into the green eyes of Tigerfall.

"Come on, Stormkit. Let's leave the apprentice to his duties." Tigerfall meowed, whisking her daughter away from the large golden tom. Wolfpaw cast her a small smile before bounding sway towards Smokeshade and leaving camp, his sister and Flarepaw following with their mentors eagerly. Shadepaw, however, followed more slowly, his mentor Icetail speaking in a low voice to him.

As soon as they were gone Tigerfall snarled low in his throat. "That tom..." his voice was angered, as if Wolfpaw had set off a fire inside him by just standing next to Stormkit.

Stormkit twitched her nose and looked up at her father. "What about him?"

"Oh, nothing..." Tigerfall obviously didn't know that she had heard, since his tone changed from anger to nervous.

The rage and betrayal in her father's eyes told her differently as he padded away, leaving his kit sitting there wrapped in her own thoughts.

* * *

The kit awoke in a dark place, where slime and muck grew on the trees and blood stained the dead grass. She trembled beneath her thick pelt, not wanting to be here.

"Where am I?" The kit wondered out loud, its voice shaking slightly.

Suddenly a dark wave approached her at rapid speed. She cringed, waiting for it to take her under into the black surface she was sure there was no way out of. The wave got closer. Closer. Even closer. She screamed and tried to run, but her legs seemed frozen to the earth as if she had frostbite.

The wave grew smaller, smaller and smaller. And when it reach the kit, a face appeared inside of it and hissed, "We have been waiting for you."

"M-Me?" The kits head was whirling about now from all the sickness and muck in the air. "Why me?"

The wave melted like ice and a cat now stood before her, it's dark brown fur matted and clumped, clearly not cared for in seasons. "I've been waiting for you for countless moons, and now your time has come to join us."

"Join what?" The cat asked, twitching an ear in confusion. "Where am I anyway?"

The dark brown tabby purred in amusement. "You are in the Shadow Realm, young one. Your destiny has been set here, and we have been waiting for your arrival."

"Is there a prize for joining?"

"Oh, you are a quick learner little one." The tom leaned forward so he could speak in the she-cat's ear. "You will get revenge on all of those who have hurt you... Misunderstood you and judged you for what you appear to be -a soft, careless kittypet."

"I'm not a kittypet!"

"Then join the Shadow Realm and you will become what you truly are... a cat destined to rule."

The cat seemed interested now. "Ill join."

"Excellent, little one..." The tom paused, collecting his thoughts. "I never got your name, little one. What is it?"

The cat raised her head proudly, her gaze seeming to darken. "My name is Flarepaw."


	5. Chapter 5: Stop and Stare

_Chapter Five: Stop and Stare_

A black-and-white tabby tom paced back and forth, his yellow gaze burning with impatience. "I swear, Hawkeye, if he doesn't come-"

"Hush, Badgertooth." Hawkeye snarled, baring his teeth. "He will come soon enough."

"I'm tired of waiting. He should have been here twenty heartbeats ago."

As if on cue, a dark brown pelt came through the shadows, his green eyes angered.

"Where have you been?" Badgertooth snarled, his snaggle tooth making it hard to understand him. "We've been waiting for ages for you to get your tail here!"

"Badgertooth." Hawkeye meowed, growling at the black-and-white tom. He wound around the dark brown tabby, his tail flowing behind him like a snake ready to kill. "But he has a point. Where have you been all this time?"

"I was busy, Hawkeye." The tom showed no fear for either Hawkeye nor Badgertooth. "I had to go out on a dusk patrol, and then put my kit to sleep."

"You had kits?" Badgertooth snorted. "Never knew toms could have kits. It must be a new thing in the Clans."

The dark brown tabby tom snarled and lashed out a paw, scratching the black-and-white warrior on his muzzle. Badgertooth hissed and lashed his tail, his fur bushing out so it was twice his size.

Hawkeye pushed in between the two snarling toms, his amber eyes gleaming. "Stop this, both of you!" He hissed, flattening his ears to his head. "Now, to settle this-"

"He and I fight." Badgertooth growled, lashing his tail in pleasure by the thought. The dark brown tom nodded and Hawkeye sighed happily, his eyes glowing in pride.

"Yes. You will fight and not stop until I command you too. Not wen at the sight of blood or the sound of mercy will you stop. I need to make sure both of you are training well enough to stay here."

Immediately the two toms broke apart and circled the other, sizing each other up. Badgertooth's eyes narrowed into tiny slits before he shot forward, aiming for the other tom but the dark brown tabby dodged to the side. The apprentice mewled in surprise when his claws met air. He snarled in defiance and spun around to face him, fur standing on end as he lunged forward once more. This time the dark brown tabby pinned him down after catching him, grabbing him by the scruff with his teeth. The apprentice shrieked as he tried to break free from his grip. But the dark tabby allowed his grip to slip as he fell to the ground in a pool of blood -whether it was his or Badgertooth's he did not know. Badgertooth took the opportunity to pin the dark tabby, sinking his teeth into the cats throat.

"Enough!" Hawkeye commanded, and the black-and-white tom hopped off the dark tabby, sitting down beside him. The tabby lay there, coughing and sputtering blood from his mouth, looking at Badgertooth angrily. Hawkeye padded forward and sliced the toms ear, making him wince. "Foolish moves..." he sounded almost disappointed. "Such a talented cat, you are... Yet you can't use the right moves on a Shadow Realm cat!"

"I-I'm sorry," the tabby spluttered, making more blood fall onto the ground.

"No time for excuses," Hawkeye growled, lashing his tail. "Return to your nests, Badgertooth and..." he trailed off, not remembering the other cats name. "Whats your name again?"

"Tigerfall." The dark brown tabby replied before disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

A wet splash on her nose awoke Stormkit. Looking up, her saw her father Tigerfall lying in his nest, mumbling in his sleep about cats named Badgertooth and Hawkeye. Who these cats were, Stormkit did not know. Scanning Tigerfall's pelt for any signs of infection the black she-cat took in a sharp breath as she saw the multiple scars that lined his pelt, fresh with blood. Suddenly alert Stormkit hopped out of the nest and ran towards the entrance of the warriors' den, slipping out easily and darting for the medicine den.

"Leopardwish!" She called, her voice trembling. Flurrystorm had retired due to his age, leaving the pale gray she-cat in charge all on her own. "Leopardwish!"

"What is it?" The she-cat meowed, poking her head out of the den. When she saw Stormkit, she merely purred and blinked at the small kit warmly. "Why, hello Stormkit. Do you need something for sleep?"

"Something's wrong with Tigerfall!" She couldn't keep the worry out of her voice, and the trembling beneath her pelt.

Leopardwish's eyes grew serious, realizing that this wasn't a sleeping matter. "All right, come in." The she-cat ordered, trying to remain calm. She went inside a large cavern and came out with four large bundles of herbs. "Now," Leopardwish meowed, unwrapping each leaf carefully and pointing to some type of root with her paw. "This is burdock root. I'm going to need you to grab a few bits of it and give it to your father, then run back and grab this comfrey. It'll stop the bleeding for the most part, then I'll be in there shortly with some cobwebs and poppy seeds."

Having no idea what the medicine cat was talking about yet nodding in agreement, Stormkit rapidly grabbed a few sticks of the burdock root in her jaws and bolted back to the den, where warriors were beginning to shout for Leopardwish. Rushing inside with the herb and running under the bellies of the confused warriors, Stormkit leaned by her father's head and lightly stuffed the herb into his mouth, purring in delight as he got the message and swallowed them. Racing back out of the den and to where Leopardwish stood with two leaves in her jaws and her paw covered in cobweb, Stormkit took one of the bundles from the medicine cat and ran into the den again, dodging the paws of the larger cats and to her father's side once more. Leopardwish arrived soon after and began putting the cobweb on Tigerfall's wounds, while Stormkit sat there staring in awe at her.

"Don't just sit there, Stormkit." Leopardwish frantically meowed, her eyes darting to Tigerfall's closing eyes and back to his wounds. "Take that comfrey and chew it into a poultice, then smear it overtop of the cobweb. I'll apply more as you go."

Working quickly the small black kit unfolded one of the bundles to find small black seeds. Remembering that they were poppy seeds from when Flarekit was unable to sleep one night she immediately went to the next bundle, unfolding it to find some leaves. Taking them in her mouth and chewing quietly yet fast Stormkit managed to spit it out and begin smearing it all over her father, considering he had wounds basically all over his fur, from ears to tail-tip. Leopardwish purred as she watched the young kit work, then took over by putting cobwebs overtop of the poultice.

Once they had finished giving Tigerfall poppy seeds and using the last bit of cobweb to patch up his wounds, Leopardwish ordered Icetail, Hollowheart, Aspenbreeze and Smokeshade to carry the dark tabby tom to her den. Following the medicine cat eagerly, Stormkit asked, "Will Tigerfall be okay?"

Leopardwish purred and rested her tail on the small kit's shoulders. "Only time will tell, Stormkit. But your father is a fighter, he always has been. So I have no doubt he will be okay within a day or two." At this Stormkit purred happily. So Tigerfall would be okay! She glanced over at the apprentices' den, where she wondered if Flarepaw had even woken up from all the commotion.

"Why don't you go sleep with your sister and her den mates?" Leopardwish meowed, flicking an ear. "I'll come get you if anything changes."

Stormkit glanced at the medicine cat. "I-I don't think I should..."

"Why is that?"

Stormkit sighed and braced herself for Leopardwish's reaction:

"I want to become a medicine cat, not a warrior."

* * *

**A/N: Annnnddddd BOOM! Shocker, am I right? Well, I guess it was kind of obvious from the medicine help Stormkit was doing with Leopardwish... But still, I thought it would be a new twist ;)**

**Until next update, which will probably be insanely soon!**

**~~Forever**


	6. Chapter 6: New Destinies

**_¢нαρтєя ѕιχ: ηєω ∂єѕтιηιєѕ_**

The medicine cat was clearly shocked by her words. "What made you decide that?"

The small black kit shrugged, not knowing why. "I don't want to be a warrior... I'd rather heal cats instead of fight them -like I helped you heal my father. My heart seemed to call out to me, leading me to this."

"Well," Leopardwish purred, swishing her tail, "You clearly have the heart of a medicine cat, Stormkit."

Stormkit lifted her chin proudly at the she-cat's praise. "Would you mind having an apprentice so early?"

"Why would you ask such a question? I wouldn't mind it at all! I could use an extra paw anyhow, but none of the apprentices will do unless they're ordered by their mentors."

Stormkit's heart filled with excitement. This was her destiny, she just knew it. And deep down, she was sure Leopardwish could tell it was too.

* * *

Days passed, and Stormkit was following Leopardwish around everywhere she went -to the elders' den, to the warriors' den to check up on some warriors that had been coming down with whitecough, and even to the nursery, where the warrior Sageleaf was expecting Hollowheart's kits. Stormkit purred at the thought of having new additions to the Clan; it would do them some good, after all the cats they had lost from greencough.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me here beneath the StonePile for a Clan meeting!" Cougarstar's voice rang out amongst the Clan, and Stormkit looked up from where she was helping Leopardwish sort some herbs, and Tigerfall sitting beside her purring encouraging words to her whenever the eight moon old kit would hiss at herself for messing up.

As the last of the Clan gathered, Cougarstar began with the speech. "I have gathered you all here to announce the naming of a new apprentice. She has waited long enough for her apprentice name, and I feel that now is the time to give it to her." He looked directly at her and proclaimed, "Stormkit, come and stand before me."

Warm purrs erupted from all the cats as the black kit padded up towards her leader, and watched as Leopardwish stepped up as well, taking the place of Cougarstar. "ValleyClan," she began, her voice calm and collected, "As you know I will not be around forever. So it is time I took on an apprentice. Stormkit has shown great intellegiance and has the heart of a medicine cat. Thus I have chosen her as my first apprentice. Your next medicine cat will be Stormpaw!"

"Stormkit," Cougarstar meowed from beside Leopardwish, "do you accept the post of apprentice to Leopardwish?"

"I do." Stormpaw meowed, excitement fizzing beneath her pelt.

"Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Skystone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." Leopardwish meowed, her eyes shining in delight.

"The wishes of ValleyClan go with you, Stormpaw." Cougarstar meowed, nodding to her in what seemed to be approval.

"Stormpaw! Stormpaw! Stormpaw!" The Clan cheered, and Stormpaw was surprised to see Flarepaw cheering for her.

* * *

Stormpaw lay in her nest that night, exhausted. Leopardwish had really tired her out; her mentor had taken her out in search of catmint, cobweb, and tansy. Surprisingly they found some of each -mainly of cobweb- inside of their own territory, but only a scarce amount of the tansy and the catmint.

A yowl made the medicine cat apprentice prick her ears, and Leopardwish was rushing out of the den in an instant, motioning for Stormpaw to follow urgently. Racing out into the clearing, she saw a familiar dark gray pelt swinging beneath the warriors Icetail and Hollowheart's jaws.

It was her mother, Wolfmist.

"Get her in my den!" Leopardwish ordered, flicking her tail. Stormpaw beat the she-cat there, crouching beside her mother. Wolfmist had several gashes on her pelt, a deep one on her neck. Pulling out cobwebs, the medicine cat apprentice worked quickly, covering the wound with them only to have the cobwebs soaked with blood from the neck wound seconds after.

Flarepaw and Tigerfall appeared in the corner of her vision, staring at the gray she-cat they loved in shock. Tigerfall stood there in shock as Flarepaw raced to her mother's side, burying her nose into her already chilling pelt. Wolfmist's eyes began to close, and the yellow gaze of her mother seemed to burn into her soul, saying "I'm sorry I ever doubted you, my little Stormkit..."

Leopardwish appeared with Cougarstar, then stopped right in her tracks at the three cats. "She didn't..."

"She's..." Stormpaw meowed, her voice cracking and tears falling from her eyes. "She's... She's dead."

Flarepaw began to sob, shaking against her mother's fur. Tigerfall let out a grief-filled cry to StarClan and hung his head low. Stormpaw stared at her mother, the cat she had loved so much, even when she was cast out of the family... She still loved the dark gray cat, for she was her mother and she had to love her.

She felt the pelt of Flarepaw press against her, and then joined by Tigerfall's. Together, all three of the cats -warrior and apprentices- shared the last moment with the cat they never thought would die so young as a true family.


	7. Chapter 7: A Medicne Cat's Duty

_Chapter Seven: A Medicine Cat's Duty_

"What herb is this, Stormpaw?"

"Comfrey." The words felt wrong on her tongue as she answered.

"What's it's use?"

"I don't know, Leopardwish."

A sigh rang in her ears. "Yes, you do Stormpaw. You _know _what all these herbs are for and what they do."

Stormpaw hissed and flattened her ears to her head. "No, I don't!" The black she-cat shut her eyes tight, wanting to be anywhere but here.

"Stormpaw," a tail lifted her muzzle and gently spoke to her, "Look at me, Stormpaw. Look at me." She did as she was told, opening her eyes to look at her mentor. Leopardwish sighed and drew her gaze to the floor of the den for a moment before looking at her apprentice again. "I know you're upset over Wolfmist's death, but you've got to understand that she's up in StarClan now. You'll see her again at the half-moon, when we go to the Skystone to meet with our ancestors."

Stormpaw's eyes flickered with memories of her mother; it had only been two moons since her death, and both Tigerfall and Flarepaw had moved on in their lives... So why couldn't she?

That was one question she couldn't answer for herself.

The black she-cat turned her head away from her mentor, fighting back tears. "Stormpaw..." Leopardwish meowed, sighing as if she was disapponted, "Maybe it would be best if you didn't become a medicine cat..."

At this Stormpaw looked back at Leopardwish, her heart feeling like it would burst inside of her chest. "W-Why? I thought you had faith in me, Leopardwish... And now because I'm grieving for my mother, you decide to fall back on your word?"

"That's not what I meant, Stormpaw. You know that." Leopardwish meowed, reaching out her tail again to touch her apprentice's shoulder. Stormpaw jerked away from her touch, as if she contained a disease that was contagious.

"Get back," Stormpaw growled, feeling suddenly defensive. She felt like she was suffocating in here. Her chest ached with each breath she took, and she felt that if she stayed here any longer she would die. "Don't you see how much I'm hurting inside, Leopardwish? Don't you see how much hurt I've been going through these past few moons?" When her mentor didn't answer, she snarled, "Of course not. You're just like every other cat: heartless and cruel. I thought you had faith in me, Leopardwish... But now I see that you never did." With a final snarl the black apprentice ran from the den, not caring that Leopardwish was shouting at warriors to go and retrieve her.

She didn't care about anything anymore.

No cat understood her, and no cat ever would.

* * *

Stormpaw finally stopped at the flowing river a long way from camp, her sides heaving as she fought to catch her breath. Collasping onto the ground and allowing tears to fall from her eyes the black she-cat sat there, feeling nothing for herself. Raising her head to look into the water, she gazed at her reflection; tired eyes stared back at her, ruffled and unkept pelt sticking up in all angles. Forcing herself to look past that, she saw how deep the water was. Maybe if she jump off a tree branch, and didn't struggle as she was forced under and pulled farther away from her camp... Maybe then she could be happy. Maybe then she would feel wanted...

Stormpaw stared at the water, wanting to go into it and drown herself. She didn't feel happy here... She didn't feel wanted by any cat; her father, her sister, even Wolfpaw and Breezepaw! They didn't care about her! They could probably care less if she lay in that river, dead by drowning.

"Stormpaw!"

At the sound of a cats voice Stormpaw shot herself into the river, glad for the numb feeling the chilling water brought to her pelt and bones. She forced herself not to swim upward, for if she did she would automatically live. She would rather die than to go back to ValleyClan, where the cats were as cruel and heartless as ShadowClan that ruled long ago.

A splash sounded above her and paws began moving, coming towards her. She thrashed, trying to find the strength against the current to swim the other way, to swim farther and farther from the cat that wanted to save her. Jaws gripped her scruff and pulled her upwards, though she pulled the other way, not wanting her head to go above water. Black dots began to swim around in her vision, and her chest ached as she fought for breath only to inhale water. The cat pulled harder, and before she knew it her head was above the surface. Pain shot through her head as she felt the scrape of fur against rock, and the warmth of blood welling in her skull.

And as she blacked out, the warm golden pelt and the worried amber eyes told her one thing:

Wolfpaw had saved her.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Wolfpaw. You can't see her."

"Why not? I saved her life! I should be allowed to see her!"

"You will once she wakes up. But for right now you have other duties to attend too, do you not?"

"My only duty right now is to see Stormpaw."

The medicine cat hissed under her breath. "You can't see her yet! She's still unconcious!"

That made the golden apprentice wince; soon after he had dragged Stormpaw out of the river, the black she-cat had blacked out. He had quickly carried the medicine cat apprentice back to camp and Leopardwish had brought her inside of the medicine den. That was just a sunrise ago, and Wolfpaw had been waiting outside the medicine den day and night to hear that she had woken up. He hadn't gotten any sleep, and thus cats were beginning to say that he was being driven insane by his snappishness to his siblings and Flarepaw.

Leopardwish rested her tail on Wolfpaw's shoulder. "I know you are eager to talk with Stormpaw, but it may take awhile before she's ready to open up to any cat. That really traumatized her, believe it or not."

"How in StarClan can she be traumatized by something that she did to herself?"

Leopardwish sighed. "She hit her head pretty hard on that rock, Wolfpaw. She may never remember any cat at all."

"She has to remember! She has to remember Flarepaw, Tigerfall, and even me and Breezepaw!"

Leopardwish's eyes flashed with sorrow. "I'm sorry Wolfpaw. I've done everything I can... It's up for time to take my place on her now."

The golden tom hissed at the medicine cat and stormed inside the den, not caring that she had ordered him to stay away. He stopped in his tracks and tears welled in his eyes as he gazed at the black cat he loved so much. Stormpaw lay in a nest, her eyes sealed shut as if she were a newborn kit again; her pelt was ruffled and still soaking wet, though the moss underneath her seemed to be helping with soaking up the water that fell off of her fur. Her ears and forehead were covered in cobwebs and soaked with blood, obviously needing to be changed. Wolfpaw stared at Stormpaw with horror in his eyes; he never knew a rock could do so much damage to a cat...

Leopardwish's voice sounded behind him: "Now you see why I didn't want you in here yet?" She called for two cats for something, yet Wolfpaw didn't hear a word of it.

All he could remember was being held back by Tigerfall and Icetail as he screamed and cried Stormpaw's name in the hopes that she would hear him and wake up.

She never did.

* * *

Blackness surrounded her like a blanket. She trembled beneath her soaking wet fur, trying to find the strength to open her eyes and forget this ever happened. But even as much as she wanted too, she did not wake.

A cat was suddenly screamed a name, and his voice was ragged and broken like glass. She knew that voice... It at least sounded familiar... Didn't it?

She truly did not know.

The cat continued to scream the name "Stormpaw!". Was that her name? Or was that some other cat, that may be laying next to her in wherever she happened to be?

She did not know.

Unconciousness came to her again as she figured out the cat's name:

_Wolfpaw... _


	8. Chapter 8: Memories

_Chapter Eight: Memories_

She awoke in darkness, but instead of the numbing cold that usually greeted her, it was somehow warm. It felt like fur was brushing against hers, the warmth of a tongue rasping over her ears and down her neck...

She froze in horror. Was she being delusional? There wasn't any cat beside her! There couldn't be...

Could there?

The force suddenly moved, taking the warmth with it. The numbing cold came to her once more, and she sank gratefully into it like it was a soft nest.

She liked being in cold. Maybe she could stay like this forever.

But she knew she couldn't stay like that forever.

Forcing her eyes open, she awoke into a world full of colors, scents, and anxious faces looking at her.

**** ( ) ****

He wandered around his territory, lost in his own thoughts. _What if Stormpaw never wakes up? What if she doesn't remember any cat... Flarepaw? Tigerfall? Breezepaw? Myself?_

He shook his head, muttering to himself. He couldn't think like that. He had to be positive for Stormpaw's sake.

"Wolfpaw!" The cry of Flarepaw snapped him out of his thoughts. The she-cat burst through the trees, her flanks heaving as she fought for breath.

"What?" Wolfpaw asked, not in the mood for Flarepaw's ignorant blabbering.

"Stormpaw..." She stopped for a moment, swallowed, then continued, "Stormpaw..."

"What about her, Flarepaw?"

"She... She..."

"She what? Come on, Flarepaw! We haven't got all day!"

"She woke up, Wolfpaw!" The she-cat was overjoyed and her eyes were shining with relief. "Stormpaw woke up!"

At this the golden tom was hopping from paw-to-paw in anticipation. "Really?" He meowed, twitching an ear.

Flarepaw rolled her eyes. "You honestly believe I'd lie to you about something like this?"

"You have before," he added with a chuckle to himself, "So I'm skeptic."

"Oh, come on Wolfpaw! Come and see!"

Instantly the two cats took off into the dying sun, hoping what both thought was true.

**** ( ) ****

A strange light gray cat was standing before her, shooing several different scented creatures away from what appeared to be a den. Were they cats like her? She glanced at their long slender bodies and their long tails. They must be.

Two other cats, a large golden tom and a ginger-and-white she-cat entered the den, and for once the light gray cat didn't shoo them away. Instead she openly invited them in, her green eyes seeming to resemble that of a leaf shining in the bright sun; they were filled with hope, something that Stormpaw had never seen before.

She studied the two cats, looking them up and down warily. The large golden tom gazed at her for a moment, and he suddenly ran to her as if he were a frightened kit and she was his protector. She flinched, not particularly knowing if the tom would hurt her or not; instantly the light gray cat let out a hiss and sent the tom back to the ginger-and-white cats side.

She strained to hear the conversation they were having in low voices:

"You shouldn't have done that." The light gray cat growled, her tail waving back and forth.

"How was I supposed to know she would react like that?" The tom retorted, his amber eyes narrowed.

"I've told you many times, Wolfpaw," the light gray cat sighed as if she were disappointed, "Time has to help her now."

"It's not enough, Leopardwish!" Wolfpaw snarled, his golden fur fluffing out in what seemed to be anger, "Can't you do something to help her?" His voice was pained and he sent her a glance through saddened eyes, as if he were blaming himself for something Stormpaw had no recognition of.

"I've done everything I can, Wolfpaw." Leopardwish meowed calmly, as if the situation was nothing but a thorn in a cats paw, "You, Flarepaw and Tigerfall have to help her remember."

"How long will that take?" The ginger-and-white cat that she guessed was Flarepaw asked, her ears twitching. "I have other duties to do than to help her remember her own identity." She sounded annoyed, as if she didn't want to help at all. "Tigerfall's getting old and brittle now, so he can't exactly drop everything and help my sister remember everything that happened in her life."

"I never said he had too," Leopardwish meowed, twitching an ear, "However, I would like it if you three would help her."

"Why should I?"

"She's your sister, Flarepaw!" Wolfpaw growled, lashing his tail.

"What does that have to do with anything? No cat loves her other than you, Wolfpaw!" With that, Flarepaw stormed out of the den.

She watched as Wolfpaw stared after her for a moment before Leopardwish's voice spoke directly to him:

"Do you love her, Wolfpaw?"

"Who?"

"Stormpaw. Do you love her?"

"So what if I do, Leopardwish?"

"She remembers you, Wolfpaw; I know she does. I could feel the connection between you two last night when I went to talk with StarClan about her fate."

"So that's why you weren't here..." Wolfpaw murmured, half to himself.

Leopardwish nodded. "Stormpaw and you have a strong bond, one that I've never seen so lively and devoted to one another in all my moons as a medicine cat."

Stormpaw twitched an ear, confused. She had found all that out from StarClan?

Wolfpaw cast her longing glance, as if he wanted her to say her feelings to him other than Leopardwish. He sighed, flattened his ears to his head, then took a deep breath and meowed, "Yes, Leopardwish. I do love her."

A deep purr rumbled in Stormpaw's body, and Wolfpaw's ears pricked as he heard the sound. A small yet bright smile curved on his muzzle and he slowly made his way over to her, cautiously as if he was scared he would frighten her. She didn't hiss at him or back away, much to his surprise; instead she maneuvered her position so that he could press his body to hers, giving off the warmth she so desperately needed. As she lay her head on his paws and drifted off to sleep with Wolfpaw's head laying atop hers, only three words were silently passed between them:

_I love you... _

**** ( ) ****

"Are you sure you want her to become a warrior apprentice?"

"Why not? I've only been training her as a medicine cat for four moons. It wouldn't be that much of a change for her to switch now."

"You're going to need an apprentice sometime, Leopardwish."

"I know that, Cougarstar. But can't you do Stormpaw this one favor and allow her to become a warrior? Think of your son; he would be ecstatic about it."

"Shadepaw doesn't like Stormpaw that way."

The medicine cat let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't mean Shadepaw. I mean Wolfpaw. He loves her, you know."

The ValleyClan leader scrunched up his nose in disgust. "How could a strong warrior like Wolfpaw love the offspring of a stuck up she-cat?"

"Stormpaw is not stuck up, Cougarstar. I can assure you-"

"She isn't to become a warrior, Leopardwish. I'm sorry. I cannot risk the sake of my son for that immature scrap of fur."

Leopardwish let out a low growl. "Perhaps your own kit will convince you otherwise." She lashed her tail as if in signal and called, "Wolfpaw!"

The large golden tom entered the den, his long and fluffy tail wrapped around the skinny black body of Stormpaw. Her eyes rested on Wolfpaw's father and she let out a growl, baring her teeth; her eyes were guarded and lit by fear of the unrecognizable cat before her. Wolfpaw murmured soothing words in her ear and reluctantly the black cat sat down beside him, her pelt pressed close to his.

Cougarstar gazed at the black she-cat, his gaze calm. "I see she's woken up."

"That she has." The ValleyClan leader looked from Stormpaw to his son when he spoke instead of Leopardwish. "She's been getting better every day."

"I'm glad, Wolfpaw." Cougarstar meowed, twitching an ear, "Now, what's this about her becoming a warrior instead of a medicine cat?"

Wolfpaw's tail curled tighter around Stormpaw when he heard the warning snarl deep in her throat. "Leopardwish and I both think she should become a warrior. I could teach her, Cougarstar. She'd be able to keep up with us in no time."

"Time is the question, my son. That's always the question, and it's more of a problem for a cat that has suffered memory loss."

"Father," Wolfpaw retorted, his amber gaze shadowed by something the ValleyClan leader couldn't comprehend. "Will you accept my request and make her a warrior apprentice?"

"Why should I, Wolfpaw? She would still be slower than a normal cat."

Stormpaw let out a sharp and threatening hiss, as if she was offended.

Wolfpaw licked her ear comfortingly before turning back to Cougarstar, his amber gaze furious. "She wouldn't be slow, father. She's the fastest cat I know. Just let her show you. I promise she won't let you down, Cougarstar."

Wolfpaw's father let out a long sigh and blinked at Stormpaw, his gaze wary. "Can I trust your word, Wolfpaw? Can I have faith in her?"

Wolfpaw nodded, his gaze hopeful as he glanced at Stormpaw and nuzzled her cheek for a moment. "I believe you can, Cougarstar."

Stormpaw let out a warm purr, as if to try and rid the leader of his doubts.

Cougarstar smiled at her, his eyes gleaming with suspicion yet trust. "Then it is settled. Stormpaw will become a warrior apprentice." With that he rose to his paws and padded out of the den, beckoning the other three cats with his tail.

Wolfpaw purred loudly and nuzzled Stormpaw before leading her out of the den, Leopardwish following close behind. As they made their way across camp, Cougarstar was gathering the Clan together, and by the time they made it next to a group of cats the ValleyClan leader was in mid-speech. "... And so, with the help of Wolfpaw and Leopardwish I have decided to name Stormpaw a new title. Stormpaw, please come forward."

Wolfpaw guided the apprehensive she-cat forward, stopping before the StonePile and his father. Cougarstar leapt down from the pile of rocks and stood before his son and Stormpaw. "Stormpaw, from this moment you are no longer a medicine cat apprentice. You have now been given the title of warrior apprentice." He glanced at his son, pride in his eyes. "Wolfpaw will train you in the ways of a warrior."

Stormpaw nodded in acceptance, her eyes gleaming with happiness. As the Clan cheered her name to the sky, Cougarstar whisked his tail in the air to die it down. "I have one more duty to perform tonight. Wolfpaw, Flarepaw, Shadepaw, and Breezepaw. Please come forward to receive your warrior names."

Wolfpaw led Stormpaw back to her place among the Clan and darted back to where he had stood, his siblings and Flarepaw now beside him.

Cougarstar began with Flarepaw. "Flarepaw, do you promise to uphold and follow the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Flarepaw answered, her eyes shining.

"Then by the powers of StarClan and my authority as leader I give you your warrior name. Flarepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Flaremist. StarClan honors you for your determination and pride, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ValleyClan." Cougarstar touched his nose Flaremist's head, and the newly named warrior licked his shoulder in return.

"Breezepaw and Shadepaw," Cougarstar continued, turning to his own daughter and son, "do you promise to uphold and follow the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" When the siblings nodded their consent, Cougarstar called to the darkening sky, "Then by the powers of StarClan and my authority as leader I give you your warrior names. Breezepaw, from this moment you shall be known as Breezewind. StarClan honors you for your compassion and willingness to help other cats in need, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ValleyClan. Shadepaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadeclaw. StarClan honors you for your devotion to your Clan and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ValleyClan." The two new warriors and leader did the same ritual as Cougarstar and Flaremist had done and stepped back from one another.

"Wolfpaw," Cougarstar's voice was full of pride as he said his last kit's name, "do you promise to uphold and follow the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do, Cougarstar."

"Then by the powers of StarClan and my authority as leader I give you your warrior name. Wolfpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Wolfheart. StarClan honors you for your determination and your compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ValleyClan." Cougarstar finished, resting his muzzle atop the newly named warriors head, and Wolfheart licked his father's shoulder in return for his name.

"Flaremist! Breezewind! Shadeclaw! Wolfheart!" The Clan cheered for the newly named warriors.

Wolfheart stared at Stormpaw, who was looking at all four of them with longing in her eyes. Wolfheart padded over to her and licked her ear comfortingly, pressing his pelt against hers.

_Your time will come, Stormpaw... _Wolfheart thought as he watched the Clan -Stormpaw included- disperse and enter their dens for the night, leaving the four new warriors outside to guard camp. _Your time will come..._

* * *

**Oh my gosh I am so sorry about the long wait! I was super busy with school and had a small amount of writer's block for a few days due to tons of snow days... But at least I made this chapter longer than before, so hopefully it makes up for the lack of update! **

**Please R&R! **

**Until next update (which will not be as long, I promise!)**

**~~Forever**


	9. Chapter 9: Practice

_Chapter Nine: Practice_

Snarls and hisses erupted in a dark clearing, with no source of light but the flashing of teeth in the dead-like moonlight.

"Enough!" A pale yellow tom called, causing the two cats to break apart from one another. The older cat, a black she-cat was panting hard as blood dripped from the wounds inflicted by it's opponent. The other, a ginger-and-white she-cat smiled victoriously and sat down, licking the blood off of her pelt and from in between her claws. The yellow tom padded forward and placed his paw on the ginger-and-white cat's shoulder. "Well done, Flarepaw. You're improving well."

"It's Flare_mist _now, Goldenstripe." Flaremist meowed in between licks of her paws. "I became a warrior last night, along with my mate Shadeclaw."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Goldenstripe leaped at her, his claws digging deep into her shoulder. "Mate? Did you just say that disgusting word?" Flaremist choked out a yes, and Goldenstripe snarled in distaste. "You have no time for a mate, cat. You're training here every night, not frolicking with that Shadeclaw. You listen to me, Flaremist: You're stuck here, and now there is no way out. You've shown skill, and now we've appointed you as a leader for the younger cats in this Realm." He let her go reluctantly, staring at the deeply penetrating wounds he had made to her.

The ginger-and-white she-cat rose to her paws, her legs shaking. "I-I've been made a leader?"

Goldenstripe nodded, his pale green eyes shadowed. "Yes. Juniperwing, Frostbite, Minktalon and myself have all agreed that you've shown great potential and skill under Hawkeye and Badgertooth's training, and have now decided to make you a leader alongside us."

"T-Thank you, Goldenstripe. I will train the newest cats gratefully, and I can only hope I will meet your standards."

Goldenstripe touched his tail to her shoulder and looked at Flaremist and the blak she-cat. "You both may go, Flaremist and Shadowfrost. But remember, we meet here tomorrow night."

**** ( ) ****

Wolfheart padded out of the warriors' den, twitching an ear and gazing around camp. Shadeclaw and Flaremist were laying beside one another with their pelts brushing, sharing a rabbit.

The soft pelt of Stormpaw brushed against him. "Do you think that will be us someday?" In the three moons since her switch from a medicine cat to a warrior apprentice, her memory had slightly returned; she was still wary around some cats -Cougarstar being one of them- but for the most part she was acting like a normal cat again.

Wolfheart purred and touched his nose to her ear. "We've already past that step," He meowed, twining his tail around hers, "We're _way _past what they're doing."

"How much past?" Stormpaw mewed, twitching an ear in confusion.

"Just take my word for it." Wolfheart joked, and to his relief Stormpaw didn't press anymore and just simply nodded.

"Wolfheart!" The large golden tom turned at the sound of his sister, Breezewind calling his name. The brown tabby padded over to him with Icetail and Hollowheart behind her. "Are you up for hunting? We could use an extra cat or two." Breezewind meowed, glancing at Stormpaw from behind her brother as if to include her.

Wolfheart blinked warmly at his sister, but shook his head. "I'm sorry, Breezewind... I was going to take Stormpaw out for battle training. But we'll join you if we stop before sunfall."

Breezewind nodded her understanding and trotted off towards Flaremist and Shadeclaw and Wolfheart watched as they both rose to their paws and followed the other three cats out of camp.

Wolfheart turned to Stormpaw, his amber gaze boring into her pale blue. "You up for battle training?"

**** ( ) ****

"Again, Stormpaw!"

Instantly the black she-cat charged at him with full speed. He tried to dodge, but the swift and graceful movement of Stormpaw made it easy for him to be pinned down in a matter of heartbeats and not even realizing it.

"Got you." Stormpaw meowed, hopping off of him and shaking out her black fur that was full of dust.

Wolfheart rose to his paws, grooming one of them carefully and studying her. "Yes, you did. But you did it correctly, and that's all that matters."

Stormpaw purred and padded up to him, her pale blue eyes warm with affection. She looked up at the sky as she sat down beside him, her black pelt resting against Wolfheart's golden fur. "It's getting dark, Wolfheart... Should we head back?" She turned her head to look up at him, twitching an ear.

Wolfheart tipped his head to the side in thought for a moment before nodding. "I think we should," As the black cat began to get to her paws, he tackled her to the ground with a purr. "But not yet."

Stormpaw batted at his chest fur with a small paw. "Mouse-brain. I saw that coming."

"Sure you did." Wolfheart teased, rolling his eyes jokingly.

"I did!" She protested, a playful growl edging her tone. "I totally saw it!"

"When Aspenbreeze and Smokeshade become mates, then I'll believe you."

"That's never going to happen, Wolfheart." Stormpaw meowed, her pale blue eyes reflecting moonlight. "Every cat knows it."

"Exactly. So I'll never believe you since that'll never happen."

She chuckled low in her throat and batted him again, stretching her paw out so she could touch his muzzle. "You're such a tom."

Wolfheart purred and touched his cold nose to her pad, grateful for the warmth. "I can only hope I'm one. Who knows how weird this would be if we were both she-cat's?"

"I don't want to know!" Stormpaw meowed, a purr coming through and following her words. She tipped her black head to the side for a moment, thinking. "It would be really weird." She shook her head, as if she had something on her mind that she didn't like. "That's just gross, Wolfheart!"

Wolfheart jumped off of her, shaking his head and holding up a paw in defense of himself. "I didn't say anything!"

"Yes you did!" Stormpaw retorted, leaping at him playfully. The golden tom dashed out of the way, but Stormpaw's agile figure was suddenly above him, her small paws holding him down with extraordinary strength. "You said it, I just thought it was gross."

A smile appeared wide on his muzzle and he leaned his head forward to lick Stormpaw's nose, making the black she-cat purr. "We should head back. Come on, let me up." The black apprentice hopped off of him and nudged him to his paws, and together they both headed back to camp, their tails twined together and their pelts brushing.

**** ( ) ****

Wolfheart sat beside Stormpaw that night, watching her eat a small yet plump mouse. She tore the meat from it ravenously, as if she hadn't eaten a true meal such as this in seasons. The large golden tom purred as he directed his attention to where his brother Shadeclaw lay beside his own mate, Flaremist; the two cats were laying side-by-side, with Flaremist digging deep into a mouse and Shadeclaw watching Wolfheart carefully, his gaze guarded.

"Wolfheart?" The small meow of Stormpaw shot him back to reality, and he turned to stare into the pale blue eyes he loved so much.

"What is it, Stormpaw?" He asked, twitching an ear.

"I was just..." The she-cat trailed off and turned her head away, avoiding his amber gaze. She suddenly blurted, "I was wondering if we could be mates, like Shadeclaw and Flaremist!"

Wolfheart rasped his tongue over her ear, using his tail to guide her gaze back to his. "Stormpaw, we're already like that. Don't you know that?"

Stormpaw glanced at Flaremist and Shadeclaw, tipping her head to the side. "I guess so..." She murmured aloud, more to herself than to any cat in particular, "but what if they end up having kits? What will we be then?"

"Our time will come, Stormpaw." Wolfheart purred, touching his nose to her ear in an attempt to calm her worries, "our time will come. We just have to wait."

Stormpaw nodded in silent agreement and watched as her father, Tigerfall padded across the clearing; the light brown tom had been getting frail lately, and white hairs flecked on his muzzle. Many cats thought that he would become an elder soon, and by the looks of him it seemed that the prediction was coming true. The tom didn't greet either of his daughters, just padded over to the fresh-kill pile, grabbed a small shrew, and made his way back over to the far end of the clearing, where he sat eating alone.

Stormpaw let out a sigh as she gazed at her father. "I wish he would talk to Flaremist or myself... He never seems to acknowledge we're his kin anymore."

"He may just be getting old," Wolfheart suggested, his tone light, "I don't think it has anything to do with you or Flaremist."

"It might be because of me, Wolfheart..." Stormpaw meowed, her gaze growing sad. "I think the fact that I couldn't save my mother and that I lost my memory for a short time got to him..."

Wolfheart stared at the she-cat, shocked by her words. Finally managing the will to speak he gently meowed, "It's not your fault you couldn't save Wolfmist." He saw Stormpaw flinch at the mention of her mother, but even so he continued. "The fact that you lost your memory for a short time wasn't your fault either, Stormpaw."

"I could have saved her... I should have saved her... But instead I watched her die... I let her die... It's all my fault!"

"Stormpaw!" Wolfheart shouted, trying to calm the she-cat down, "It wasn't your fault!"

Stormpaw turned her pale blue gaze on him, seasons of pain and suffering shining through the shadowed blue orbs. Wolfheart sighed and looked into her eyes, wishing her situation was better than what it was now. Without a word the black she-cat rose to her paws and bolted from camp, cats staring after her shocked at what she had done. Flaremist rose to her paws and took of, shouting after her sister and pleading for her to come back; following her lead Wolfheart did the same, racing to wherever Stormpaw was going in hopes she wasn't doing anything drastic.

He found her fighting with Flaremist, both she-cat's shouting at one another. "Stormpaw!" Flaremist shouted over the rain that had begun to pour over all three cats, "Stop this! You're going to get hurt!"

The black she-cat hissed and replied with something Wolfheart couldn't hear, and before he knew it the golden tom was below water with Stormpaw limp in his grasp, floating farther and farther away from their Clan...


	10. Chapter 10: New Surroundings

_Chapter Ten: New Surroundings_

He yawned slowly, feeling the sunlight streaming in through the tress and warming his golden fur. He rolled onto his side, stretching out his long legs. Slowly, he opened his eyes, staring at his gangly limbs, before he wrinkled his nose at them. He rolled back onto his stomach, then stretched, trying to see if he had developed any muscles in his sleep. He had not, and this displeased him; he wrinkled his nose, before glancing to his side, towards his sleeping mate. Rain and river water combined flowed off of her black pelt, and her fur was plastered to her body like she was a newborn kit again.

Slowly, she opened her eyes; her pale blue orbs were dull with exhaustion, and it seemed as though she wanted to fall asleep right then and there. Sensing that was what she wanted to do, the golden tom rose to his paws and began cleaning her pelt of the river water and rain, trying to warm her up so they could get moving. "Come on, Stormpaw," He meowed in between licks of her soaking wet fur, "we've got to get moving... Try and find a place to rest or something." Stormpaw mumbled something under her breath and with the help of the golden tom she rose slowly to her paws, her black legs shaking as though she couldn't hold herself up. "Here," the tom meowed, allowing her to lean into him for support, "lean on me; I'll get us somewhere, then we can both rest."

Too tired to protest, she simply nodded and the golden tom lad her away from the spot they had been just heartbeats ago, neither of them looking back.

**** ( ) ****

"Do you have any idea where we are, Wolfheart?"

He glanced at her, then shook his head. "I have no idea... But I'm guessing that we're not even close to ValleyClan territory anymore; we're probably not around any other cats or close to any shelter."

He heard her sigh; it sounded as if she were saddened by the news he had given her. "Do you think we'll ever get back home?" It sounded like a statement to reassure herself more than a question.

"I'm hoping we will..." He meowed, twitching an ear, "but we'll just have to fend for ourselves for a while until we can find home again..."

They continued to pad along the long dusty trail in silence, neither of them speaking for a while. Soon, they found a large tree stump with a burrow underneath, and assuming that nothing lived there by the smell of it the two cats crouched inside; despite the tightly-packed space they could both move around nicely to get comfortable, and within moments Stormpaw was asleep. Wolfheart lay there, his golden fur brushing Stormpaw's long black pelt, and he sighed as he watched her flanks rise and fall with every breath she took; once in a while she would cough, but nothing came up but a small cloud of dust. He purred softly and began to groom her ears gently with long strokes of his tongue, pressing closer to the shivering black she-cat to try and keep her warm.

For what felt like seasons Wolfheart groomed every inch of her pelt, before the exhaustion of sleep had him resting his head against Stormpaw's and closing his eyes, allowing the darkness to take him like prey.

**** ( ) ****

"Are they asleep?"

"Stab them with your claw and find out!"

"That's cruel, Jag! Why in the world would I do such a thing?"

The echoing of voices above them woke Stormpaw; rolling onto her side to face Wolfheart she nudged him with her nose, and immediately the golden tom amber eyes shot opened and he let out a growl as he heard the voices as well. Stormpaw pressed her nose against his cheek in an attempt to calm him, and Wolfheart purred softly and nuzzled her before he whispered under his breath, "Come on; let's go see who they are..."

Crouching and going towards the bright sunlight that shone up at the top of the burrow, Wolfheart poked his head out to find a large brown tabby tom and a small dark gray she-cat, both of them staring at him oddly. Stormpaw's small black head appeared beside him moments later, and her ears twitched in alert as the two strange cats continued to stare at them like they had just come down from StarClan.

At the sight of them, the large brown tabby growled low under his breath. "Who are you?" He asked, his teeth slightly bared at Wolfheart and Stormpaw. The small gray she-cat flicked her tail in curiosity, and her green eyes were skeptic as she studied both of them.

Crawling the rest of the way out of the burrow and helping Stormpaw out as well, Wolfheart dipped his head low to the to cats in respect. "I am Wolfheart, and this is Stormpaw," he introduced, gesturing to Stormpaw and himself with his tail. "We were just passing through. Sorry to bother you." He twitched an ear, trying to lift the awkward air around them.

"Wolfheart? Stormpaw?" The brown tabby echoed, his blue gaze distant. "Odd names, you two have. Well, if you must know, I'm Jag and this is my mate Smoke." He indicated to the small dark gray cat with a sharp jerk of his head.

Smoke smiled kindly at Wolfheart, and he felt Stormpaw stiffen beside him. "Do you both have any place to stay?" She asked, blinking at Stormpaw with slight fear flashing in her eyes.

"We're fine here, thank you." Stormpaw growled, her pale blue gaze narrowing on Smoke.

Wolfheart cast his mate a glance from the corner of his eye in warning. "No, we do not. We just camped here for the night, and will probably go off and find some other spot to rest tonight."

This time it was Jag who spoke, not Smoke. "Well, if you two odd-named cats would like to stay at our barn-"

"We'd be delighted to have you." Smoke finished his sentence with a small inviting purr.

Stormpaw hissed at the dark gray she-cat, and Wolfheart wrapped his tail around her as if to hold her back. "That would be wonderful," he meowed casually, casting Stormpaw a warning glance, "would you mind leading us to where it is?"

**** ( ) ****

"Make yourselves at home here!" Smoke purred as she squeezed through a small opening in the all of a large barn, Jag following a heartbeat later; Wolfheart nudged Stormpaw through the small vacant space and finally managed make his way inside, leaving tufts of his golden pelt behind on the sharp wood. The barn was huge; white paint lined the large wood boards on the top of the barn, where two cats sat perched on one of them, staring at the two newcomers through cool eyes. There was a large, wide roof the had hole in the dead center, where sunlight happened to be streaming through the hole, giving off a welcoming atmosphere to Wolfheart and Stormpaw. Giant piles of yellow straw lay off to the four corners of the large space, and Smoke and Jag both were looking at one separate pile intently, their tails flicking back and forth slowly.

The sound of paws hitting ground shook Wolfheart out of his daydream. The two cats that had been on the ledge of the wood board a heartbeat ago were now standing before them, their eyes -green and amber- both boring into the eyes of Stormpaw and Wolfheart.

"Greetings," Wolfheart meowed, dipping his head to the two cats respectfully, "thank you for allowing us to enter your home."

One of them, a small black tom stepped forward, his green eyes wide. "You're Clan cats, yes?"

"That we are." Stormpaw meowed, her pale blue eyes flashing.

He suddenly purred and dipped his head to them in the same respectful way. "I too used to be one of you," he meowed, blinking steadily at Wolfheart and Stormpaw. "My name is Ravenpaw, and I used to be a part of ThunderClan."


	11. Chapter 11: Finding Secrets

_Chapter Eleven: Finding Secrets_

"Y-You used to be a Clan cat?" Stompaw asked, her eyes growing wide.

Ravenpaw nodded. "Indeed, young cat. I used to be an apprentice in ThunderClan, long before you two were born." he paused collecting his thoughts, "are you two a part of ThunderCaln?"

Wolheart shook his head, his ears twitching. "No, but we have heard of the four original Clans: RiverClan, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan."

"The elders always used to tell us stories of them, and how they shaped the Clans into what they are today..." Stormpaw added, her pale blue eyes flashing with memories.

Ravenpaw purred at the black she-cat's comment. "Well, I wouldn't exactly say they shaped the Clans, but they certainly had some loyal and worthy cats that made your Clan all the powerful it is today." he studied Wolfheart for a moment and asked, "What Clan are you two from, if not from my birth Clan?"

"We aren't from any of the original Clans," Wolfheart explained, his tail waving in the air, "We come from ValleyClan, one that I'm guessing you do not know by the odd look on your face."

Ravenpaw chuckled to himself, a rusty purr rumbling in his throat. "I have never heard of ValleyClan, true. It must be a descendant of one of the original Clans..." His gaze grew distant, as if he were visiting memories from his old life as a Clan cat.

Stormpaw purred at the tom's friendliness. _Perhaps we can make a life here, with Ravenpaw, Smoke, and Jag... _She thought, then purred softly at the idea and looking at Wolfheart, finding out that he thought the same thing just by looking into the amber pools known as his eyes.

Wolfheart purred and licked her ear, then turned back to Ravenpaw, his amber gaze flashing. "Would you mind if we stayed here for the night? We won't be a bother."

Ravenpaw snorted, as if he thought what the golden tom was asking was silly. "Why would you ask such a thing, cat? The more cats, the better!"

Smoke and Jag padded over to the four cats, mice in their jaws. "Here," Jag meowed, placing two mice at Wolfheart and Stormpaw's paws, "you should eat. You must be starving after staying out in that burrow for a night without food."

Stormpaw licked her lips, staring at the mouse hungrily. "Thank you, Jag," she meowed, nodding her thanks to the brown tabby. Taking the mouse in her jaws and trotting over to the center of the barn where the sunlight was shining, she lay down and began to tear into the prey, sunlight streaming off her glossy black pelt. Wolfheart blinked at Ravenpaw and padded over to join her, fully aware of the four gazes of the cats on both of them as they ate.

Once they were finished, Stormpaw began to lick her paw and swiped it over her ear, washing it. "Do you think we could make a life here, Wolfheart?" She asked, raising her head to look up at her mate.

Wolfheart purred and licked her cheek, rubbing his muzzle against hers. "I believe we could, Stormpaw... I really think we could."

**** ( ) ****

The next morning, Wolfheart awoke to the shifting of Stormpaw. Forcing his eyes open to look at her, he purred warmly. "You awake, Stormpaw?"

The she-cat groaned in fake annoyance. "I'm trying to sleep here!" She growled, trying to seem angry and failing miserably. "Now hush and let me sleep!"

Wolfheart rose to his paws and nuzzled her, purring loudly at the way she tried to be annoyed at him. "I know you're awake," He meowed, batting at her chest fur with a large paw, "you think I don't know, but I really do."

Stormpaw peeked at him through half-closed eyes. "Oh, is that so?" She mused, fully opening her eyes and looking at Wolfheart, "well then, I suppose I can tell when you're awake as well, since you snore so loud!"

Wolfheart stared at her, his eyes wide in silent disbelief. "Do I really snore?" He asked, twitching an ear.

Stormpaw chuckled low under her breath and batted at his muzzle with a paw. "No, I was kidding about that."

He sighed gratefully and rolled his eyes. "Okay, good. For a moment I thought I really did."

Stormpaw purred and swatted at his chest with her black paw. "Are we going to do something other than just lay here?"

Wolfheart nodded and let her up, watching as she shook out her pure black pelt. "I was thinking we could take a walk out in the brush..." He murmured, hoping that she would agree. His heart about fluttering up into his chest when she nodded, and instantly the golden tom took off towards the entrances of the barn, squeezing through the small opening with ease this time. Stormpaw followed heartbeats later, and together the two cats chased one another around and around the large barn, having no care in the world.

_We could have a life here... _ Wolfheart thought as he tackled Stormpaw to the ground with a loving purr escaping his lungs. _In fact, we already have... _

**** ( ) ****

"So what was this really about, Wolfheart?" Stormpaw meowed as they sat beside each other in the cool grass, sun beaming down on them and warming their fur.

Wolfheart sighed and gazed at Stormpaw, love brimming in his amber eyes. "I just wanted to come out here and talk..." He meowed, flicking his tail so that it lay over Stormpaw's back.

Stormpaw twitched an ear, obviously not buying his statement. "Talk about what...?"

"Things."

"What kind of things?"

"I don't know, Stormpaw..."

"I know you do, Wolfheart. So don't be a softy and not tell me."

"I'm not soft!"

"Then tell me what this is about already!"

Wolfheart sighed; he couldn't hide it from her now, especially not when she was demanding to know what was on his mind.

Leaning forward so that he was close to her ear, the large golden tom whispered with a purr:

"Will you mate with me?"

**** ( ) ****

**A.N.: Okay, that's a pretty awkward way to end a chapter, don't get me wrong. But I just didn't want to spoil a lot o things that are coming up so I had to end this chapter like that XD. Sorry if it's really awkward to read... But I had to do it! **

**Until next update! **

**~Forever :3**


	12. Chapter 12: Dreams

_Chapter Twelve: Dreams_

Stormpaw's ears pricked at the question Wolfheart had asked her. "M-Mate?" She meowed, shocked by his words. "I thought we already were..."

"We are," Wolfheart meowed with a small purr of amusement, "but what I meant was that we could -and would, if you wanted- have kits."

"But we're young, Wolfheart!"

"We're also loners now, Stormpaw. We don't have to follow the rules that were in ValleyClan anymore; we can do whatever we want. We live on our own now -with Jag, Smoke, Ravenpaw and Barley."

The black she-cat tipped her head to the side, considering the facts he had just told her. "That's true..." She murmured, twitching an ear, "but I'm still an apprentice! You're a warrior -it would be wrong!"

Wolfheart's gaze flashed before he spoke. "Stormpaw, you still have an apprentice title -you don't have too, just as I don't have to have the warrior title that I do. We don't have to have Clan names, Stormpaw. We can leave behind our Clanlife, and everything about it, and be here together as loners... Just as you and I talked about all those moons ago as kits."

Stormpaw's eyes shone at the thought. "So what do we do?" She asked, her pale blue gaze studying Wolfheart's amber. "Should we leave behind our Clanlife and everything about it?"

Wolfheart shrugged. "We can, if you would prefer to leave our names and traditions of a Clan behind."

"Would we be more accepted if we did?"

"I don't see why not."

Stormpaw purred and rested her head on Wolfheart's shoulder, sighing almost happily. "Well, if I were to ever become a loner or rogue I'd want my name to be Chime." She looked up at him from the corner of her eye, seeing a smile starting to form on Wolfheart's muzzle. "Don't ask why, because I truly don't know why... I've just always wanted to be called that."

Wolfheart purred and touched his nose to her ear comfortingly. "Okay, then. But you're still my Stormpaw, no matter what your name is."

"And you're still my Wolfheart." Stormpaw purred and twined her tail around his tightly, stretching her head forward and licking his muzzle.

They could do this. They could make a life here, perhaps raise a family...

Stormpaw had a feeling that day was coming soon.

"Oh, by the way: I accept your offer." She meowed, nipping at his ear playfully and bolting from his side, listening to the happy yowl of Wolfheart sound behind as he chased after her.

**** ( ) ****

Wolfheart lay next to Stormpaw that night, trying to sleep. After Stormpaw had accepted his offer, the golden tom couldn't stop smiling or lose the giant mass of energy his body had gotten from the words.

"Wolfheart."

He turned in the direction of the voice, suddenly realizing that he was not beside Stormpaw anymore. Hissing, he whipped his head in all directions, trying to find out where the voice was located and where it had come from.

"Who's there?" He demanded, trying to stay calm despite the fear scent that had begun to poison the air around him. "Where am I?"

A shadowy figure appeared before him and pair of gleaming yellow eyes burned into his amber. "Wolfheart. You have come at last."

"Come where?" Wolfheart demanded, hissing at the figure. "Tell me where I am!"

"You will know in due time," the shadowy figure said, a cloud of dark smoke following the words that escaped it's mouth. "But for now you must follow me to hear the plea of your ancestors."

"Am I in StarClan?" Wolfheart asked, his gaze and stature guarded as he reluctantly followed the shadowy figure. _Am I dead? _

"You are not," the figure replied, seeming to read his thoughts, "in fact you are very much alive." Wolfheart was led down a slimy path, with blood paw prints staining the dead grass and muck lining the trees. The figure stopped at the border between the dark and the light, where moonlight flecked the pelts of multiple cats in a separate clearing. "You must go alone now," the figure said, turning to Wolfheart, "for I cannot travel with you any longer."

"Why is that?" Wolfheart asked, staring past the figure at the star-flecked cats.

"My place is not among them..." The figure replied, revealing it's true form of a cat, a dark ginger-and-white pelt he knew all too well.

"Flaremist?"

"Hello, Wolfheart." The she-cat let out a rusty purr in greeting. "It is wonderful to see you again."

"Why are you in this place?" Wolfheart asked, his amber gaze boring into her yellow.

"I am bound by oath I took as a young and foolish cat," Flaremist replied, her gaze saddened as she turned her head to stare at the StarClan cats. "No longer am I a part of that light-ridden place... The place where my ancestors look down on me with shame each night I come here."

"Can't you leave?"

Flaremist turned her attention back to Wolfheart, her yellow gaze dull with sorrow. "I cannot, as I am bound by a sacred oath. Unfortunately I am under the watch of the Shadow Realm every waking moment and every dreaming hour. If I ever think of going to my true place in the world, I am scarred in both my mind and my pelt; look at my scars, Wolfheart," she turned so he could see multiple scars lining every inch of her pelt, along with inside of her eyes, "those are the marks of pain and suffering that I have endured all these seasons of being in this place. How I wish I wouldn't have taken that oath, allowing myself to live in light instead of dark..."

"Flaremist..." Wolfheart meowed, taking a step towards the she-cat only to have her step back in retaliation and fear, "I... I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It is not your place to be sorry for me, Wolfheart." Flaremist meowed solemnly, "I have done this to myself."

Wolfheart dug his claws into the ground harshly, growling low under his breath in anger at himself. "Can't some cat help you out of here?"

Flaremist turned her head to look back at the StarClan cats again for a moment before turning back to him. "They have the answers you seek, Wolfheart... Go to them, and leave me here in the place I am to die in."

"I can't leave you! I..."

Flaremist purred warmly, and for a moment her yellow eyes were lit by life before dulling down to the shadows of death. "I know you feel bad for me, but do not fear. I am happiest here, and although my dream is to join my family in StarClan I know that I am meant to stay here... To die here, even."

"Flaremist... I just... I just want to help you!"

Flaremist stepped forward and licked him in between his ears, comforting him. "I know you do, Wolfheart... And I admire your strength and courage to help me. But as much as I love that you want too you cannot help me through this. I must do this on my own, as I have always done." She swept past him and appeared beside him heartbeats later, staring at the light-trodden path she had been destined to walk with sad eyes. "Go now, Wolfheart. Find your answers, and I will see you again some day."

As he padded forward and stepped into StarClan, he heard the echoing words of the dark ginger-and-white she-cat for the final time:

"Tell Stormpaw I am sorry."

Then, with a gust of wind the she-cat was gone.

**** ( ) ****

Wolfheart gasped and sat up, breathing heavily from his ordeal. He stared around at the darkness surrounding him, fully cloaking him in it's numbing hold on his pelt and mind. Bolting from the barn he sat outside, trying to calm his breathing.

"Wolfheart?" The worried meow of Ravenpaw sounded behind him, and the golden tom turned to look at the black cat, his amber gaze frightened.

"I-I'm sorry, Ravenpaw." Wolfheart stammered, feeling embarrassed, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Ravenpaw chuckled low under his breath and padded over to Wolfheart, sitting down beside him calmly and staring up at the sky. "It's not a problem," he meowed, twitching an ear, "I've been awake, waiting for you to get out of your dream so I could talk to you."

"How did you know I had a dream?"

"I may not be a Clan cat anymore, but I know when a cat has been visited by his ancestors."

Wolfheart stared at the black tom, sensing the wisdom flowing from his words. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

Ravenpaw did not reply for a long moment. Finally, he spoke: "I needed to talk to you about that cat you saw in the Shadow Realm."

"Flaremist?"

"Is that her name?" Ravenpaw purred in amusement at himself, "I did not know. Well, anyway, may I ask why she came to you?"

Wolfheart shrugged, flicking his tail. "She never really told me... She just kept telling me to go and see StarClan, and then I woke up."

Ravenpaw nodded and a 'hmm' escaped his lungs. "That's odd... I would have thought she had a purpose to see you..." He turned his head to look at Wolfheart, his gaze lit by a sudden intensity. "Did you feel some type of connection between you two while you were there? Could you feel a special bond blossom?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Wolfheart asked, his gaze narrowing suspiciously.

"Perhaps she came to you to see if you still cared for her."

"I didn't care for her! My love has always been for Stormpaw!"

"I never said your love was damaged," Ravenpaw meowed calmly, dismissing Wolfheart's anger with a flick of his black tail, "I just said that I sense that Flaremist felt something for you that you did not, and maybe she was trying to conceal that connection between you two..." He trailed off, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "Or she could have been giving you a sign from your destiny."

"My destiny?"

Ravenpaw stared at Wolfheart, disbelief in his amber eyes. "No cat ever told you?" When the golden tom shook his head, the black tom gasped in shock. "I would have thought some cat would have told you early on in your life..." He straightened, seeming to hold an authority in the situation. "I suppose I will have to tell you then." He sighed, then murmured three words that about stopped Wolfheart's heart:

"You must rebuild my home of ThunderClan, and gather others to lead the other three Clans alongside you."


	13. Chapter 13: Destinies and Hardships

_Chapter Thirteen: Destinies and Hardships_

Wolfheart stared at the black cat, clearly shocked. "I-I'm supposed to lead a Clan?"

"My Clan, to be exact." Ravenpaw mused, purring with amusement at himself. His gaze grew serious as he continued. "I have faith that you can lead ThunderClan and restore it to it's rightful glory, Wolfheart. You and Stormpaw will make wonderful leaders."

"Stormpaw is supposed to become a leader as well?"

"Well, it's if you decide not to take the leader position in ThunderClan." Ravenpaw meowed, tipping his head to the side in thought, "that is of course if she wants to stay in ThunderClan and not lead a Clan of her own."

Wolfheart flinched at the words and dug his claws into the ground beneath him, turning his gaze up toward the fading moon. Ravenpaw sighed and turned away as well, but instead he turned in the direction of the barn. "Come now, Wolfheart," he meowed, flicking his tail, "we should head back inside."

Wolfheart sighed and padded after the tom, his tail drooping slightly as he entered the barn and back to where he pretended to sleep.

**** ( ) ****

She awoke to the sound of paws bashing against one another in the form of a play fight. Opening her eyes, she saw Wolfheart and Smoke bathing at each other playfully, warm purrs of delight coming from both of the cats. Hissing, Stormpaw shot to her paws and threw herself at the dark gray she-cat, tackling her off of Wolfheart and onto the ground, tearing at her face and ears with thorn-sharp claws.

Two pairs of teeth grabbed her scruff and hauled her off of Smoke, and whipping around she saw Ravenpaw and Barley stepping back from her, their eyes calm. Wolfheart, however, stood there shocked at her fierceness for a moment before he blinked and whispered, "Stormpaw..."

Tears welled in her eyes, though she forced them not to spill. "Don't say anything, Wolfheart!" She hissed, lashing her tail.

"Stormpaw," Ravenpaw meowed, casting a glance at a hurt Wolfheart, "he was just teaching Smoke battle moves from your days as Clan cats."

"Honest, Stormpaw." Wolfheart added, ignoring the snarl she threw his way. "I would never hurt you like that. You should know that by now."

"Liar!" She hissed, blinded by rage. "You don't love me, Wolfheart... You never have and you never will!" With a final snarl the black she-cat bolted from the barn, away from every cat and even herself.

**** ( ) ****

Wolfheart watched her bolt from the den, tears streaming down her face. He watched her silently, not making a move towards her or towards the entrance of barn where Stormpaw had been heartbeats ago.

"You should go after her, Wolfheart..." The voice of Ravenpaw sounded and the golden tom turned to see the black cat approaching him, Barely and Jag hard on his paws. "Only you can fix this."

Wolfheart cast a glance at the entrance of the barn, his amber gaze narrowing suspiciously. "No," he meowed, flicking his tail dismissively, "I won't go after her. I messed up, and I know she will never forgive me... I'll allow her to come back to me if she wants... If she doesn't return tomorrow night, then I will know that she and I have nothing anymore..."

Ravenpaw sighed sorrowfully yet dipped his head, padding away with Jag and Barely.

Smoke suddenly appeared beside him, her green eyes glimmering in the rising sun. "I'm sorry, Wolfheart..." she murmured, her voice cracking, "I shouldn't have cost you the cat you love..."

Wolfheart shrugged, twitching an ear. "I don't know what Stormpaw means to me anymore... I thought I loved her, but I suppose she and I are going our separate ways..."

"Will you wait for her?"

Wolfheart sighed and lay down on his belly, resting his head on his paws. "I truly don't know, Smoke... I truly don't know."

**** ( ) ****

Stormpaw didn't stop running until she felt as if she were to faint. Finally stopping beside a running stream, she bent her head to lap at the cool water and purred with relief as it ran down her throat, soothing the aching and burning that resided inside of it.

"Stormpaw."

The black she-cat turned in the direction of the whisper, twitching an ear in confusion. "Who's there?" She called, her head whipping in all directions in search of the strange voice.

A small, kit-shaped figure appeared before her. "Savior, you have come at last..."

"Savior? What do you mean?" Stormpaw asked, shocked at the kit's young age but the wisdom his words had on her heart.

The kit simply flicked his tail, and Stormpaw's paws were propelled forward, she doing nothing to move or stop them. "Where are we going?"

The kit stopped after a short moment, turning to look Stormpaw in the eye. "Stormpaw -if that is even your name now- you have been chosen from moon upon moon, season upon season before you were born to lead ShadowClan to greatness. You will select three other cats from a long ways away to help you lead and make warriors, apprentices, elders and queens out of the remaining cats. This has been your destiny ever since I joined StarClan long ago, and it is still your destiny now."

"Who are you, kit?" Stormpaw asked, shocked that a cat no more than two moons old could speak with such wisdom far beyond his age.

The kit let out a small purr, it's pure white pelt shaking. "I am Snowkit, born to Swiftbreeze of ThunderClan. I joined this place when I was just two moons old from being taken by a hawk."

"Didn't any cat try and save you, or at least warn you?"

Snowkit's blue eyes flashed with painful memories. "I was born deaf, young Stormpaw. I am able to hear now that I am in StarClan, but back then I was unable to hear any warning a cat might have given me..." He trailed off before continuing, seeming to collect his thoughts carefully, "thus I was taken, my mother dying not soon after I had joined StarClan a couple moons after of being taken by the hawk." He shook his head, flicking his small yet plumy white tail. "But onto the original matter..."

"You need me to lead ShadowClan..."

Snowkit nodded, his ear twitching. "Yes, and lead ShadowClan you will." The small tom blinked, beginning to fade back among the ranks of StarClan.

"Where are you going?" Stormpaw cried, sighing her claws into the dirt below her, "Snowkit!'

"I am not leaving forever, Stormpaw..." Snowkit replied, blinking at her through warm blue eyes, "You and I will meet again, sooner than you would ever think possible."

With that, the small snow-pelted kitten was gone from Stormpaw's sight.


	14. Chapter 14: Finale

_Chapter Fourteen: Finale_

Stormpaw stood before StarClan, her pale blue gaze scanning the ranks of every cat that had given her a life. Now, she only had one more life to go before she would lkead ShadowClan to it's original glory, alongside her deputy Streakstorm and her medicine cat Cherryblossom. She had lead the gathered group called SplashClan -a band of rouges, run away kittypets and loners like herself- to a new home in a deep hollow, where no other Clan or group of cats could bother them.

A cream-and-brown she-cat padded forward, his yellow gaze cheerful and her smile warm as she stood before Stormpaw. "Fade," she meowed, saying Stormpaw's new name in front of all StarClan, "you have been destined for this moment for countless moons and seasons, and now it is time. Do you wish to be granted your final life?"

"I do, Otter." Fade meowed, remembering the she-cat she had grown to know and love like the sister she never had.

Otter smiled wider and stooped to touch her muzzle to Fade's head. "With this life I give you the blessing and integrity of all StarClan. Whenever you feel lost or alone, call to us. We will be with you every step of the way, until it your time to join us here in StarClan." A blazing, yet warm feeling seemed to stop Fade's heart, and just when she about wanted to drop to the ground pleading for her ancestors to take it away it dulled. Otter stepped back from fade and stared into her eyes intently. " I hail you by your new name, Fadestar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of ShadowClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity."

Fadestar dipped her head and watched StarClan fade around her, the small purr of Snowkit -who had given Fadestar her eighth life- echoed in her mind.

Cherryblossom approached her, her rose-colored pelt glinting in the moonlight of the Skytree. "What happened, Fadestar? I saw you jerk and twitch and I thought something was wrong."

Fadestar purred at her old friend and nudged her with her shoulder, leading the medicine cat and herself away from the Skytree. "I cannot tell you what went on, Cherryblossom. But for now, let us go home."

**** ( ) ****

**A.N.: And that is the end of Storm of Silence! I know this chapter and everything in between was very rushed, but I did that for a reason and everything that has not been mentioned will hopefully be explained in the second book: _Faded_ _Memories._ So please look out for that book -I will have the allegiances up tonight, hopefully- but I'm not guaranteeing anything sadly ;-;... **

**This is Forever signing off of Storm of Silence for the last time! :3**

**~Forever :D**


End file.
